Breathe The Air
by Aria6
Summary: Coyote Starrk's soul has been purified and he's living in the Rukongai with Lilinette, working as a mercenary. But events have set him on a collision course with his past. What will happen when the past meets the present? Starrk/Shunsui/Juushiro. A different writing style for me!
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is a completely different take on Starrk's history and personality. XD Hehehe… also in my other fic, sodomy is not actually illegal, just socially unacceptable. Reading wiki about how it's actually illegal in a lot of countries, with rather gruesome penalties, gave me this idea. Hope you enjoy the first person narrative! I'm aiming for kind of a detective vibe...

* * *

So there I was, no shit…

My name is Starrk. Coyote Starrk. You want my history? You'll just have to whistle for it because that's all I've got. Well, and my Lilinette. I'm pretty sure she's my daughter. I can't remember her mother or anything but we have this thing, you know? She says she's fated to be my wife. I beg to differ. We might have to iron that out someday…

Whatever. Right now, I'm in some dude's closet. Well, okay, not just some dude. Kyoraku Shunsui, taichou of the Eighth Division. And what the fuck am I doing in his closet you might ask? I'd like an answer to that myself. This should have been a hell of a lot easier. Why doesn't this douchebag have a window in his bedroom like a normal human being?

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I was hired to spy on him. See, that's what I do. I'm a mercenary. I do all kinds of shit. Spying, kidnapping, counter-kidnapping, stealing but that has to pay really well… you get the drift. The one thing I don't do is assassination. That's not my gig. I've killed people before, you don't live the kind of life I've got without getting your hands wet, but it was mostly self-defense, ya know? I'm not a violent guy. I wish I could go without weapons but I'm not stupid. Shit happens, sometimes.

And how, you might ask, did I get the drop on a taichou? I am just that fucking good. I am the greatest spy not yet picked up by the Onmitsukido. Those guys worry me because I'm pretty sure they've been sniffing me out. Will I eventually get an offer I can't refuse? Well, it'd better fucking pay well, is all I have to say.

Ah, finally, he's getting ready for bed. What, no woman? Apparently this guy has a reputation for sleeping with anyone who says yes. Whoever sent me wants to know who his bed partners are. Not sure why, but I don't give a shit. It's all money in the bank. I'm gonna be pretty pissed if I've been hiding in this closet for nothing. And it's fucking dangerous, too! Am I going to have to do it all again tomorrow? Oh, here's the second guy who owns this house. Another taichou, his name is Juushiro. Hey, wait…

What. The. Fuck? They're kissing and… ah shit. Happy happy camera time but holy shit this was NOT what I'd expected. It's making my pants tight, too. I'm bisexual, the whores in the Rukongai can tell you all about it. My camera keeps quietly flicking as I think about it.

Sex in the Rukongai is sort of an interesting topic. I mean, you've got all these plus souls who don't need to eat and shit. What else are they gonna do aside from kill each other? That's a crowd favorite too. But back to sex. The Rukongai is kind of weird. There's a lot places where two men do not kiss, like, ever. But there's a few neighborhoods that are like, the gay part of town. I live right on the edge of one. It's nice because I can get laid however I want without raising too many eyebrows and at the same time, my clients can get to me without braving the land of hairy chests. What? I like hairy chests. My great weakness.

However, it's a little known fact that sodomy is still against the law. Yeah, try to sell that one to all the husbands desperately trying to make sure the missus doesn't get knocked up. Anyhow, the punishment is beheading. Yes, I am serious. No, this is not a fucking joke. However, I can't remember ever seeing a judge actually say, yeah, we're cutting your head off shorty. However, I have seen it done in the nastier parts of the Rukongai. Let's just say it wasn't neat and leave it at that.

Thing is, though, the Rukongai doesn't really have any laws. Some bits are much better run than others but even then, it's usually run by the criminal element. My part of town is run by the Farakuto family. I get on with them okay. They respect that I'm a free-lancer and in return, I give them a discount on the rare occasion they need my help. All very civilized. I can be civilized, see?

The Seireitei, though, is a place of laws. Even as I'm committing the moment to paper for posterity I'm thinking about it. What would happen to these two if they got outted? Did whoever hired me expect THIS? Shit suddenly got serious. Honestly, I thought I was just going to give someone a laundry list of women's names or maybe, if this guy was starting to settle down, just one or two. I never anticipated something this juicy. What the fuck to do? Could I in fact get them killed? They're both taichou and he's a noble, right? They'd have to be fine!

Unfortunately my logic isn't really working for me. Yeah, Kyoraku is a taichou and a noble. To me that says he's got enemies and the fact that I'm in his closet says they're gunning for him. The white haired dude might just be collateral damage. At the very least someone will be getting fucking awesome blackmail material. Damn. I'm suddenly feeling like I didn't charge enough for this. Wonder if I could renegotiate the rates?

…Fuck. What am I thinking? Am I really going to potentially hand this over to someone who clearly has a boner on to hurt these guys? I mean, decapitation might not be totally off the table here. I'm not a murderer. And well… oh fuck, I should at least be honest with myself. The way these guys are making out is affecting me. After all the times I've spied on people like this, I consider myself a connoisseur of voyeurism. I can tell when two people are just bored and looking for excitement and getting it on, and when two people actually love each other. What I'm seeing in this bed is love. Kinda hurts to see, since my life is a bit bereft of love at the moment, if you don't count Lilinette. Hey, at least I always have my little girl.

And if I'm being all honest with myself, maybe I should admit another thing. Hairy chest out there is getting to me. Damn, I love a man with lots of muscles and a hairy chest. Pisses me off that I'm damn near hairless. All I've got is my beard and my happy patch. Seriously, what the hell? I'd jack off to myself if I had a chest like that. I wonder if I dare jack off to them…? No. No no no! This is a job, damnit. If I start wanking off while I'm working I'm going to have to accept the fact that I'm a pervert. Right now I'm still in denial. Denial, not just a river in Egypt! Where is Egypt? I have no fucking clue…

Oh thank god they're done. My pants are too tight and my cock hurts. Oh shit they're cuddling. This is so loving I could just puke. I mean, I like to see love and all but what the hell am I going to do?

…I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to take these pictures and add them to my personal files, because I might need help urgently someday and these guys don't know it, but they fucking owe me. Then I'm going to tell my client that I failed the mission and give back the money. I mean, sneaking into a taichou's house and hiding in his closet? I can pull this shit off but who else could? Aside from, I dunno, Soi Fon herself. I'll just tell the bastard this nut was too tough to crack. Hopefully he'll let it go. Now I just gotta wait for them to fall asleep. Shit, my cock still hurts! Down boy, down.

This night really sucks.

* * *

"Well that was a complete waste of my time." I mutter as I put the pictures in the files. I keep them kido locked and hidden in the ceiling of my bedroom.

"What was a waste of time?" Lilinette. I turn to look at her with a smile.

My little girl. I don't know if she's my daughter but it doesn't matter. I'm raising her, she's mine. And that's how I introduce her because I don't want the neighbors to freak. Even in the bohemian part of town, kid fuckers are not really respected if you get my drift. Of course, this is the Rukongai. Random plus souls show up all the time and often they adopt each other because they can't find their real families. It's sort of sad to see but it makes us pretty typical. Even if we're not related, we're filling the hole in our hearts.

Lilinette's turning into a beautiful girl. These past few years have been kind to her. She's blossoming, starting to fill out, and getting a bit of height on her. I'm sure she's never going to be tall though. Not sure why I think that but I'm willing to bet she'll barely make my chin when she's done. Is that because I know, somewhere inside, that her momma was tiny? Ah, the things I'll never know.

"My night last night. Want to hear about it?" I ask and she nods, reaching up to touch her eye patch. I have no idea when and where she lost that eye. It was gone when we both woke up in the Rukongai, confused and hurting. "So I was hired to spy on this dude..." I leave out all the specifics because Lilinette doesn't care anyway, but quickly get to the meat of the matter. Meat, heh… oh god, bad thoughts, bad thoughts.

"Oh wow. So you're not getting paid." Lilinette can fill in the blanks easily enough and she knows me. She knows I have a huge objection to killing people. It's weird because she doesn't. Lilinette's a hell of a lot more cutthroat than me. Maybe she had a bad childhood. Wait, am I her dad? What does this say about my parenting? Well done dad of the year.

"No, not getting paid. But that's alright. We're pretty flush at the moment." I say before checking the cash box. Oh yeah, it's nice. A lot of jobs, a lot of them well paying. "Hell, I could take a siesta if I wanted." I do that sometimes. A week of doing absolutely dick all. No more than a week though. My customers are generally willing to wait a week but any longer and they start getting impatient and going elsewhere. I can't afford to lose customers. I get a fair bit of repeat action and my word of mouth advertising is pretty good too.

"Why don't you just take one day off? Sounds like you've earned it." Ah, my Lilinette. Reining in my slacking impulses. She has a point though. One day off wouldn't impede the cash flow at all and it'd make me feel better. "Can I come too?" And there's the catch.

"Hey, you've got lessons!" She scowls at me and I glare right back. Seriously? "Come on Lilinette, you get two days off already. I'll take another day off to be with you, how's that?" Because I don't like paying for lessons she's not using. Lilinette's one of only eight pupils that this nice teacher dude is tutoring. He charges a good bit which is fair because that's how he makes a living. I'm glad to pay it but that means I want her butt in the seat.

"Oh fine." She gives in with ill grace. Thank god. "But you better work hard in between! I want you to buy me some ice cream and some new clothes!" So much for a siesta. But her clothes are getting a bit short and I know for a fact we can't let out the hems anymore. We did that just a few months ago. Yeah, my Lilinette is growing. I sigh and nod.

"Yeah, I'll get you some clothes. Now let's get some brekky." Lilinette scampers out of the room as I kido lock the windows and doors. I don't have a zanpakuto – how in hell do you even get one? – but I am a skilled kido witch. A year ago, I managed to hunt down a rogue shinigami and paid him a hell of a lot to teach me. Bastard cleaned me out good but it was worth it. An investment in my future that has paid dividends many's the time.

Now, most plus souls in the Rukongai don't need to eat. But me and Lilinette, we are not most plus souls. I'm powerful and she's showing promise so food is on the table. An annoying expense but you gotta do what you gotta do. And since Lilinette's growing I want her to have the good stuff. For breakfast that means eggs and congee. I wish we could afford bacon or sausages to go in the congee, but it's a needless expense. Lunch is usually a bento box of rice, beans and pickled vegetables, cheap and filling. Supper now, that's where we get the good stuff. Our boarding house serves supper and Mari, the lady who runs the place, is a fucking genius. She can take something as humble as pig trotters and create something delicious. It all gets served with more rice. I'm a bit damned tired of rice, to tell you the truth, but bread's a damned sight more expensive and not any better for you. Let it be rice.

So we ate at the local café and picked up a bento box for Lilinette before I kissed her goodbye. Just a peck on the cheek, damnit! Stop looking at me like that. She scampered off to her lessons as I contemplated what to do with my day off and finally decided to sleep.

What? I like sleeping. And the daylight scene isn't really my thing anyway. I love what happens when it starts getting dark. And I've got a built in alarm clock, it's called Lilinette. Sure enough, she came home well before supper and kicked me awake. Of course, that meant she berated me a lot for wasting my day off. But really, how can sleep be a waste? Sleep is awesome. Ask a guy who can't sleep and he'll tell you all about it.

And now the sun is setting and this is definitely my thing. A few coins to Mari and she'll keep an eye on Lilinette for me. Not that anything would happen to her at the boarding house – I don't have any enemies after me at the moment – but she might get some dumb idea of following me. And that'd be bad because I am on the prowl. I want to get laid. Just thinking about those pictures I took is enough to stir my cock. That puppy needs some action and Lilinette would really queer the deal. Although if I take someone home she'll be there, but then she'll know what to do. There's a reason I sprang for the big place with two bedrooms.

Ah, but what kind of action do I want tonight? I consider one tough guy who looks like he might have a hairy chest before letting it slide. There's something about him that makes me think he might be a ginormous douchebag. And while I don't necessarily object to that for a passing thing, I'm in the mood for some kissing and such. Yes, something almost loving, that's my speed tonight. That guy would probably pound my ass and leave me bleeding. Sometimes I'm into that – masochistic? Oh, a touch – but not tonight.

Then I spot something that interests me. He's almost girlishly pretty, which isn't usually my thing, but I think I'm in a mood to be the one on top. And I just have a feeling he wouldn't object to kisses and sweetness. A lot of guys don't do that very well around here. He's with someone but after watching for a while I'm sure they're not lovers. Baldy is trying to seduce a chick. Not doing too badly, either. She's interested, I can tell.

Briefly I think about seducing a chick but then my attention goes back to pretty boy. I really am in the mood for some cock. He's wearing a nice yukata that looks to have been made for him and I can tell he's really into his own appearance. I think… yeah, I'm sure he's drinking a Double Down. That's a cocktail they make around here. I saunter up to the bar and order one for him and another for myself. Taking it over I make my move.

"Hey. I noticed your drink is getting low. Fancy another?" I purr, letting my body language do all the real talking. Pretty with feathers considers me for a moment before smiling. I think I meet his qualifications for good sexing material.

"You know, I think I do. What's your name, handsome?" Ah yes, he digs me. I smile back, sipping my drink. It tastes great and very alcoholic. A Double Down is a potent thing.

"Coyote Starrk. And you, beautiful?" I say and he stared at me like I just sprouted a second head. "What?" That's weird. He blinks before shaking his head.

"I'm sorry. I've heard that name before… I'm Ayasegawa Yumichika." He introduced himself and I smiled again before sipping my drink.

"And you've heard of me? I'm flattered. I'm getting a reputation, I admit, but my clientele is rather select." I said softly, before licking my bottom lip. Just a slight touch of tongue. I know how to be seductive, oh yeah.

"Really? And what is it you do?" There's a wary hint to his smile. Does he think I might be a prostitute? Probably. I laugh before finishing my drink and ordering us another round.

"A bit of this, a bit of that. Whatever takes my fancy. I'm a bit of a low life scumbag." I admit cheerfully. Hey, it's my identity, I'm proud of it. He blinks and suddenly laughs. "What, you think I'm kidding? Ask my customers, they'll tell ya. And probably tell you my rates are way too high." I've had some bitching about that. But if you want the best you'll pay for it, that's my motto. I only give discounts for the local Yakuza and sometimes, rarely, a really good sob story. "Except for little girls. Don't tell anyone, it'd ruin my image, but I found a lost cat once. My payment was a kiss." It had been beyond cute. Lilinette had been jealous. Yumichiki laughs again. I think I like him. "So what do you do for a living?" I ask.

"I'm a shinigami." He says and that really catches my interest. I want a zanpakuto. No idea how to get one. Maybe I'll ask him later… the morning after, yeah, that would be a good time. I have a sword and I use it all the time but a zanpakuto would be a hell of a lot better.

"Oh yeah? What's it like?" I might as well find out. If I'm right about the Onmitsukido I might be experiencing it sooner rather than later. That's undoubtedly what they're looking at me for, the wankers. Unless they want to use me as a contractor. Could be that too, my morals might not be what they like.

The night goes like I expect. We have fun talking, dance a few times and I take him home with me. Baldy manages to pick up a chick and bids us farewell, off to get his own itch taken care of. When I get Yumichika home he glances around before wrinkling his nose. I quirk an eyebrow at him. Sure, it's not spotless but it's not a pigsty either. Me and Lilinette are not neat freaks but we have a few standards.

"It lacks beauty." He said and I glance around, surprised. Beauty? It's just a place to rest feet. I never really thought of making it beautiful. "Although that's a lovely sketch."

"Oh really?" That does tickle me because… "I made it. You want, you can take one home with you." He looked at me in surprise and I shrugged. "I tried selling the damned things but couldn't make a living at it." Art is just a hobby. If it were me maybe I would make a living at it but it ain't just me. I've got my Lilinette and she needs clothes, schooling, food… kids are expensive. "But this ain't the room I want to show you." I let all the heat go into my voice and we head off to the bedroom.

My bedroom is nice. Not beautiful, I don't much care about that, but comfy. Nice big mattress on the floor with lots and lots of pillows scattered around. They make great props for all kinds of things. Not for tonight though. Tonight… I pull him close and kiss him. He smells really nice, soap and some sweet little cologne. What do I smell like? Probably a wild animal, I've been told that before. He seems to like it if the way he breaths in my hair is anything to go on.

"Hey. I hope you don't mind, but I don't want to just fuck. I want to make love." I say in a husky whisper and I see his eyes widen. Not the kind of request you get every day around this place. "I want it to be… beautiful." His favorite word. That gets to him and he smiles at me, running a hand over my face before pulling me into another kiss. His lips are so warm and alive against mine. I don't love him, I don't even know him but damn. I want to pretend.

"I usually like it a bit rough. But tonight… I think I would like that. Yes, let's make this beautiful." He whispers back to me and I nod, tugging him towards the bed.

This is going to be a damned fine night.


	2. The Way the Wind Blows

I woke up the next morning feeling absolutely great.

Wonderful sex the previous night will do that to you. And it was wonderful. I smile as I prop myself up on one elbow, looking down at my sleeping bed partner. He looks really cute, his hair mussed up from sleeping and those feathers of his slightly scrunched. He'd probably think otherwise – not perfect, ya know? – but I think that makes him more adorable. And the soft little snores are cute too.

_**WHAM!**_ I wince at that crash and my pretty bedmate sits bolt upright, reaching for a weapon before stopping in confusion. Does someone wake him up like that a lot? Wouldn't surprise me a bit.

"Lilinette! If you break the fucking door I will slap you!" I snarl. An empty threat and she knows it. "What is it?" It had better be what I think it is. If it isn't, I won't slap her but I might hang her out the window by an ankle. What? It's my best form of discipline.

"Breakfast! I got enough for you and your boy toy!" Ah, what I thought. Good… although, boy toy? Damned child. My partner for the night frowns, clearly a touch offended.

"Don't mind her. She's just jealous." I assure him and he gives me a curious look before slipping out of bed. Ah, that's a beautiful sight. I admire it for a moment before getting up myself. He only has the stuff he was wearing yesterday, but I have a few more options. Sorting through the closet I found a steel grey shirt and dark brown pants. That'll do. I pulled them on, wiggling a little to get the shirt in place. It's a bit tight around the shoulders. Have I put on weight? I only have a hand mirror so it's hard to tell. Maybe I've just bulked up a little. Plenty of hard work lately.

When we go out breakfast is waiting. It's from the café again. See, I don't have a kitchen. No one in the boarding house does and it's a pretty common situation in the Rukongai. After all, most people don't need to eat. Why would kitchens be standard equipment? Mari actually caters to people like me, who have enough spiritual pressure to need some food. She charges a bit extra for it but it's worth it, no doubt about it.

"Kimchee and eggs? Nice." I say before I dig in. There's congee too, of course. I'm getting riced to death. But kimchee makes it better. Yumichika's more than willing to dig in too, hungry from the workout last night probably. Damn, it was good. Pretty sure he feels the same way. "This is my daughter, Lilinette." I introduce her. Of course, that immediately goes sideways.

"I'm not your kid Starrk! We're going to be married someday!" She snaps and Yumichika stops, his fork halfway to his mouth and an expression of disbelief on his face. I've seen that before. Actually, I've seen worse. Sighing, I drop my chin onto my hand before looking at him.

"And that, right there, is why I'm still single." I say and he snorts before smiling. "Keep dreaming Lilinette, keep dreaming." I say before I go back to my food. She sticks out her tongue at me.

"Yeah, whatever Starrk! I'm going to have tits soon, just you wait." She threatens and I wince.

"Stop sabotaging my love life, brat. I'm hoping to get a second date here." I don't know if feather boy could be anything more to me but, ya know, I think maybe I'd like to find out.

"I'm not interested in anything serious." He says smoothly. Can't say I'm too surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised. "But if I see you again, I would be more than willing."

"Thanks, you were great in bed too." I compliment him and he laughs. "Hey, I was wondering. I can do kido, I'm pretty good at it, but how does a man get a zanpakuto?" I ask and he gives me a slightly odd look as we continue to eat.

"The weapons are specially forged and prepared." Damn. I was afraid of that. "I happen to know my taichou took one from a slain shinigami and managed to impress his spiritual force onto it." Oh really? But… how would I do something like that? I'm not going to just kill a shinigami for his sword and I'm not going to vulture one either. Although…

"Shinigami must get killed in the slums sometimes. How do you recognize swords like that? Maybe I could find one in a pawn shop." That's actually pretty likely. This is the Rukongai, the first impulse around here is always 'loot the body'. Shit, I've done it plenty's the time. He gives me a small smile.

"Since you already know kido there's a simple test. But if you already have kido and you want a zanpakuto, why don't you just become a shinigami?" He asks and I hesitate, a bit of food on my fork. "You're eminently qualified."

"Well, several reasons." I say slowly, glancing at Lilinette. She's ignoring us both, kinda pouting. She really hates it when I have a girl or guy over and she hates it more when I seem to like 'em. "First, I like my freedom. I sometimes take days off to just sleep, ya know?" Sleep is my favorite thing. "Doubt I could do that as a shinigami. Second, I've got a little girl to support. Does being a shinigami pay well?" That makes him smile a bit as he shakes his head.

"No. But we get free food and subsidized housing for those with families. Education for dependents is run by the units and also free." He said and I blinked. Free?

"Oh. I had no idea. Huh. That makes it sound like a better deal." I'd been worried about how I'd take care of my Lilinette on a shinigami's salary. But if all that came included surely I could do it. And hell, I could always moonlight at my old job for extra cash. "Well, I still like my freedom. I'll enjoy it while it lasts." He lifted an eyebrow at me and I decided to explain. "I'm pretty sure someone's scoping me out. I get these little flickers, sometimes." It was pretty random, maybe one night a week that I got the vibe I was being followed. I aborted a job, once, because I felt it was just too damned sensitive to let someone spot me at. But most of the time I didn't care. "Bet it's the secret police dudes. Reckon they'll recruit me before too long." The hazards of being good at my job. He looked pensive for a moment.

"Yes, I imagine they would be interested in you." He murmured and I gave him a funny look. Something about that… like he knew something I didn't? Eh, whatever. "Well, if you run into trouble look me up. I might be able to help. Thank you for breakfast." He says as he rises from the table. I'm a bit surprised at the offer and Lilinette looks at him darkly. Damned child!

"It was nothing." I say easily as he makes an exit. Lilinette growls at his back.

"I don't like him. Don't bring him back again." She says and I glower at her. Brat!

"Stuff it Lilinette. My cock needs help sometimes. And he doesn't want to be my boyfriend anyhow." Yumichika had been pretty clear that this was casual, nothing more. That mollifies her a little. She doesn't mind my random wanderings too much, she gets more pissy when she knows I like somebody. "I better get to work. Got some stuff to do." I do a lot of my work at night, but not all of it. "And I have to meet that guy. That's going to be so much fun." I muttered. Telling a customer I'd blown it was never the highlight of my day. Giving back money sucked too. But you do what you have to do. And I was damned if I'd become a murderer over something like this.

I'd never be able to look at myself in the mirror again.

* * *

"Well that went really fucking well." I growled to myself as I stalked off in a huff. Goddamnit. Now I was acting like Lilinette!

But that guy had gotten on my tits something bad. Seriously, I fucked up. I admitted it. I couldn't complete the job. Yet the fucker could. Not. Let. It. Go! Seriously, telling me over and over that I'm the best doesn't help. Even Soi Fon must fuck up once in a while. We're human beings god damnit! Well, plus souls but you get the drift. And then he started acting like he thought I was holding out on him which was unnerving because it was true. But fuck, why would he think I was holding out? Damnit, I do like getting paid! It's why I take jobs in the first place. Work. Money. Simple equation, right?

Then the jackoff tried to threaten me and that was when I beat feet, leaving his money on the table. He can fuck off and die now. I'm not taking a job from him if he offers double my rates. No one threatens me and stays in my clientele. Well, it's time to get back to work on my other job.

I'm trying to rescue a chick from a whorehouse. Most of the places around here, joining up and leaving is pretty voluntary. Sometimes it ain't though. Sometimes, shit gets rough. Why? Oh, I dunno… not enough girls, whorehouse owners who don't want to pay 'em… whatever. The point is, sometimes girls get kidnapped and forced into sex slavery. This one girl had a boyfriend who wanted her back bad. But when he'd tried it himself, he'd ended up with a broken sword and a broken arm. He was lucky they'd left him alive, honestly.

By himself, that guy wouldn't have had the juice to pay my rates. But he had a friend in the Farakuto family and I was giving him a break on the price. I don't love doing that but at least it was for a good cause. So it's time to scope the place out. I do that, creating a quick plan in my mind. Problem is, a lot of it depends on the girl. Is she in good shape? We'll have to see.

The simplest way to get to the girl, though, is to pay for a quickie. So that's what I do. I ask for her by name, which doesn't surprise anyone. Word gets out when there's a really nice girl, or just a new one, and people ask for 'em. I pay the going rate, which cuts into my fee a bit. Annoying. Then I get to see the girl.

To my relief, she's a tiny one. That'll make life easier if I have to carry her. Not bad looking either… not bad looking at all. Dark skin, black hair and shockingly brilliant blue eyes. The look on her face, though, is just hopeless and resigned. Do guys actually get off on this?

"Hey there chica. You ready to blow this popsicle stand?" I ask in a low tone and that just confuses her. "I'm a mercenary. Your man sent me to get you out of this dump." That makes her mouth drop open and some hope enter those bright blue eyes.

"Inoke sent you? But how? We don't have much money." She breathes, understanding the danger of being overheard. I shrug.

"That buddy of his, Teku-something, asked me to do it cut rate as a favor." I said and saw her lips tighten. So she wasn't too fond of mobsters? Well, I'm not either. I just know better than to refuse them. "I'd be too expensive for him normally. But let's get going." I evaluate her and decide she ain't gonna be climbing. Well, that's fine, I can do it for her. The window is just waxed paper but it has bars. I rip off the paper and give the bars a hard look before nodding.

"Sai." I use a simple kido in a not so simple way. I stick my hands between the bars and shove them to the sides, making some space. Will it be enough? Yeah, just barely. Good thing the girl is tiny, if she'd been an amazon I'd have to go with a completely different plan. When I turn back to her, her eyes are wide.

"You can use kido? You are expensive." She whispered and I can't help but smile. That is a big part of what lets me jack up my rates. Not exactly a common talent in the Rukongai, kido.

"Yeah, you can thank your yakuza connection later. Now, let's see… this is gonna be tricky." I mutter as I pull a rope out. Fortunately the window doesn't face the main street. Although even if it did, would anyone give a shit? No, but they might rat me out to get a discount at the whorehouse. I know I'd think of doing it. Tying the rope to one of the bars, I look at the girl again. "I don't think you can climb a rope, can you?" I ask and she shakes her head, looking a bit scared. "Didn't think so." She looks to be lacking in upper body strength. "Here's how we'll do it. I'll go out first. You follow after me and get on my back. I'll do the climbing." Getting her on my back is going to be the tricky bit. We can't both go out that little window at once.

For one bad moment, I'm wondering if I can get out the window. I curse a lot and feel my shirt tear, and a bit of blood on my shoulder. Awesome, just tore off some skin. But I get through in the end and then I'm holding onto the rope, waiting for the girl. She makes it through easily, thank god. The back part is as tricky as I thought and I get an excellent panty shot as well as nice legs wrapped around my neck. In bed, that would've been sexy. Right now? Not so much. Then she's in a proper position, those legs around my waist and the little arms around my neck. Good, good. I start down the rope, making good –

"Hey, what's taking so long – THE FUCK?!" Oh shit. Didn't count on that. What, do these fuckers always hurry out the customers? I have stamina motherfuckers! Guess I should have paid for the whole night… Some douchebag sticks his head out the ruined window and looks down at us. I look up, hoping like hell he doesn't have a crossbow. That would entirely ruin my day.

He doesn't, but he's got a knife. He slashes the rope and the girl on my back screams as I twist, trying to land right. It's hard as hell but at least she doesn't try to help me… that might put me off further. She's just a weight, burying her face against my neck and clinging for dear life. I land okayish. I can feel that I just gave myself bruises and strained an ankle, but I am definitely a going concern. She gets off me without needing a hint. Good, I like a smart woman.

"Time to run like hell." I grunt as I get to my feet and grab her hand. And like that, off we go. There's shouts behind us but by the time the serious pursuit gets in gear, we're long gone. My ankle's getting worse though. We eventually have to pause so I can work some healing magic on myself. Fuck, I hope it gets better in a hurry. I have money but Lilinette needs clothes, I don't want to be sidelined for an injury.

"Are you okay?" The girl asks and I glance at her, noticing something I missed before… a really nasty bruise on her face. It looks to be fairly old and I didn't see it with her dark complexion. Well, no surprise, that wasn't a top end whorehouse.

"I'll live." I grunt, stretching my foot out and wiggling my toes. Not too bad. "I think we lost them. Let's walk, slowly." I gingerly put weight on it and decide it's going to be okay. But running definitely doesn't help. She nods and off we go. I don't take her back to my place, though. I take her to a Farakuto safe house. I get to see her meet her man, and that's a fine thing. There's a lot of tears and hugs.

"Your fee." That's Teku-something. He's a tall guy with black hair and a perpetually pissed off look. Makes me wonder how he knows these two. I take the coins with a small bow, although it ain't too much. Still, it's something. Then I make my escape. It's time to go home.

When I hear how Lilinette's day went my blood pressure goes through the fucking roof.

"…So then I kicked him in the balls and ran away." She finishes and I growl in rage. Who. The. Fuck? If I find him he's a dead man! "Don't worry Starrk, I can take care of myself."

"The fuck you say! What if he'd tried to grab you? Lilinette, tell me what he looked like." A dude was offering her candy, trying to lure her off. Fucking shit, who even tries that old wheeze anymore?

"If he'd grabbed me I would have kicked him in the balls faster. And he was just this guy." She says which is so not helpful. "I mean, kind of short and brown hair, brown eyes. Nothing special." Ah, nondescript. At least she's trying. "I wouldn't have given him a second look on the street."

"Brilliant." I sigh, running a hand through my hair. I don't like this. The truth is, my little girl is turning into a sweet thing. She's just starting to get tits and that pretty green hair of hers, those weird but cute pink eyes… well, single eye… yeah. I can see how someone into little girls would dig her. Pisses me off something fierce. No one touches my Lilinette. "I'm going to walk you to school and back for a while." Not for too long. It'll cut into my sleep and work time. But I'll make a statement. She nods, a bit annoyed with me but touched with my concern.

"You know I love you, right Starrk?" She says softly and I look into that pretty pink eye. She is so sweet sometimes, my Lilinette.

"I love you too." I say, before reaching up to pinch her cheek. "You're my little girl." That ticks her off, which was kind of the point. She punches me in the chest.

"I'm not your daughter Starrk!" She snaps and I grin. I don't care if she think we're not related. I think of her as my little girl and that means I am not marrying her. She'll just have to get over it. "I hate you sometimes too. What's for supper?"

"Rack of wild boar – I kid, I kid. It's mixed veg, fried sardines and rice." Rice. The bane of my existence. Lilinette sighs. She's not fond of sardines, but they're good for her. Mixed veg too for that matter. And with Mira's cooking skills I just know it's going to be tasty.

It is. Me and Lilinette spend the night together after that, just playing cards and chatting. I love doing that with her. It'd be better if we had more people, though. A third and ideally, a fourth. Ah, keep dreaming Starrk, keep dreaming.

Maybe someday.

* * *

What. The. Fuck.

Seriously. Why is this guy stalking me? I swear that's what he's doing and HOLY SHIT it's pissing me off! And now it's not the same guy. Now it's a new motherfucker, some big bruiser who tries to fucking threaten me! I've given the money back! Just take it and go! FUCK!

…Why are they so sure I have some dirt on Kyoraku Shunsui? I mean, I do, they're totally right about that. But why are they so sure? Are they just desperate or do they have something to base it on? Or are they just hoping to intimidate me into trying again to get their shit off my back? Oh fucking god help me. I don't know what to do about this anymore. If I'd known things were going to get this bad maybe I would have given them the damned pictures. Well, actually, if I could go back a bit further I wouldn't have taken the job to begin with. Damn it!

At least I've managed to shake my tail for now. Now, I'm doing some real work, the kind that pays me. I'm staking out a house, getting an idea of this guy's comings and goings. Why you might ask? I'm going to be kidnapping his son. Why again? No idea. I'm going to hand the kid over to someone over in the Nakturo district. All I know is they aren't planning on killing the kid. This is some kind of blackmail and sorry but I can't get too picky –

Wait, what? I stiffen as I get a bad feeling. Bad juju is suddenly in the air and I just know. Lilinette is in trouble and it's bad. I abandon my job without a second thought and make a run for it right back home. I know where she is, I can feel where she is. At times like this, it's like our souls are linked together. And something is really wrong!

I hit the boarding house just in time to see two motherfuckers manhandling my little girl out of the place. I draw my sword, fire up my kido and then I'm onto them like a bad lunch. Pretty soon there's blood all over the place and it ain't mine. You didn't think I had it in me? I'm a peaceful kinda guy but not when my Lilinette's threatened. Touch my girl and I'll be the last thing you'll ever see.

As the rage goes down, though, I start to regret it. Now I can't question them. But I can see what Lilinette knows, when she wakes up. She's out cold and as I gently pick her off the dirt I can see one hell of a bruise on her face. That ignites my rage again and now I don't care about questioning them. They hurt my little girl.

I get her inside and to my disgust but not surprise, those assholes broke my door down. Now I'll have to buy a new one. And what am I going to do in the meantime? Cursing to myself, I take Lilinette into my bedroom and blockade the door with some furniture. My room doesn't have a window, for good reason… hey. You know, his boyfriend must be the reason Kyoraku doesn't have a window in his bedroom. Oh, of course he is, I'm so damned thick sometimes!

Not that it matters. I check Lilinette over with my kido and to my relief, she's fine. Just bruised up, maybe a minor concussion. No rape, thank god. But would they have…? Shit. Being a dad to an almost teenage girl is so damned hard. That shit will happen over my dead body.

"Starrk?" Lilinette. I smile in pure relief as she opens her eye. "What… happened…?" She mutters, reaching up to touch her head. She must have one hell of a headache. I gently help her into a sitting position.

"I was hoping you could tell me. I got an alarm and ran home to find those assholes carrying you out of the house. They're dead, by the way." And right now someone's looting the bodies. I should have done that but I was too concerned for my Lilinette. She blinks her eye as she remembers.

"Oh yeah! Starrk, they were after you!" Quel surprise. "They were pretty pissed that you weren't here… they… said something about really fucking you up, if they got their hands on you." She whispers and I nod. Again, not a surprise. "I killed one of them Starrk. I had that knife you gave me." That was a really good knife, too. I paid top dollar for it. That surprises me though. How'd she…? "I was hiding in the closet in my room. They searched it and when one of them opened the door I got him."

"Good work." That's my Lilinette. "Bet they were pissed." What were they going to do to her? Makes my blood boil. "Let's go look at that body." That might tell me something about who did this. I am going to find the person behind this and kill him!

"They were really pissed, Starrk. They were talking about raping me." Oh. My. God. I am going to kill someone. Lilinette can see the look on my face though. "Calm down Starrk. You look like you might burst something. I'm okay." How can she be so calm about this?! But she's a strong girl, my Lilinette.

"Still going to kill someone." I growl before I bend down over the body. "…" I don't like the look of it right off. Just some guy, but the fabric he's wearing is a little too fine. The cut is nice and it doesn't quite belong in the Rukongai. We're a bunch of fucking low lives here, even the yakuza douchebags don't wear really fine shit. Hell, most of the time they have terrible taste. This is subdued and nice. I search the guy and curse at what I find. "A fucking house servant? You kidding me?" I glare at the stuff this guy had on him.

"Wow, that's arrogant." I glance over at Lilinette. She's picking her nose. Damn it! I reach over to grab her arm and she scowls, pulling her hand away. "Seriously though, who sends out a guy with something like that?"

"A noble." I growl as I look at the sigil in my hand. It's a necklace and the symbol on it looks like gold. I can recognize it. I did a bit of research after I was hired to take on Kyoraku Shunsui as a target. "Fucker!" Not Shunsui, whoever hired me. Because now I know it was someone within his own clan. "Arrogant and stupid." I muse, thinking about it. I'm pretty sure Kyoraku would never make a mistake like this. He has a reputation for being a lazy drunk but smart beneath it. Yeah, I'm dealing with someone who's arrogant and stupid… but has a lot of resources. That could be a bad combination.

Resting a hand on my forehead I try to think of what to do. Hurting my Lilinette is crossing a huge line. Anyone in the Rukongai would agree. It's not true for every district – some of them are fucking lawless, not even the yakuza has control – but for the places that are under some kind of law, there are some rules. The primary one is leave the women and kids out of it. Lilinette is a kid and a girl, she'd be doubly untouchable to any of the usual bad guys. Me? They'd torture me to death in a heartbeat. But not my girl.

A noble though… they don't play by the same rules the rest of us do. I've read Lilinette's history books because I had to buy 'em anyway and they're a good read. So I know that there have been clan feuds in the past that ended in full out massacres. The women and children? Fuck 'em. Cut their throats. And me and Lili are just scum to people like that. Why should they give a shit?

…It's time to bust out my blackmail material. Kyoraku might be interested to know someone in his clan is after him, too. I have a lot to work with there and with two taichou looking after her, Lilinette should be fine. She won't like it but tough. I'm not keeping her around when shit this bad is going down.

"Come on Lili. I'm getting you somewhere safe." A plan is forming and I'm putting it into action right now. Kyoraku taichou doesn't know it, but he's about to get a daughter. And he better take really good care of her or I'll be after him, too.

My list of people to kill is getting longer by the minute.


	3. Common Scum

So here I am, quietly having a smoke as I wait for my two victims to show up.

The interesting thing is, I don't actually like cigarettes. Filthy things. They don't taste good, don't do a single thing for me. So why am I smoking one? Well, this is what I like to call a statement smoke. The statement that I am here. Let's see how fast they pick up on it.

The front door opens as I lean against a wall, letting out a good cloud of smoke. Then I move forward, dropping the cancer stick into a half-full teacup before going back to supporting the wall. On the way, I pull up my scarf. I'm wearing a scarf over my face and another over my hair. All they'll see of me is my eyes, which is how I want this. Of course, they'll get to know my Lilinette but there's no hope for that.

"…And then I told him to fetch me some more! The look on his face was –" The cheerful voice stopped abruptly and I watched as the man in the kimono unsheathed his smaller sword. What was it called again? Eh, I don't care. Short sword would do. The other one started warming up a kido.

"Someone is here." The white haired one said and I give them both high marks. Two for two, excellent. "What is that on the table?" He asked and I'm tickled pink that they've noticed. I set that out pretty carefully, it would just be lame if they walked right on by.

"Oh my kami." The man in the kimono sounds shocked and horrified. Well, you should my man, you should. I've taken a nice array of my photos and spread them out on the table for them. I move away from the wall and he readies his weapon as the white haired dude looks at me with a hard glare. I spread my hands, showing that I've got no weapons. Well, I do but it's just a short sword and it's in its sheath. Wouldn't do me any good against two taichou anyway. I'm good but I'm not a god.

"Hey there." I keep my voice a soft rasp. Trying to keep a low profile here. "I have a proposition for you. You'd be wise to listen." I reach down and touch a photo, gently playing with it with the tips of my fingers. "Very wise." Of course these aren't the only photos I've got. Not even close.

"What do you want?" Kyoraku says and he sounds very pissed. The white haired dude just noticed the pictures and he's going seriously pale. I'm pretty sure they both think I want money. I almost wish I did, it would be a hell of a lot simpler.

"I was hired recently to spy on you." I have to tell them the background or the whole 'look after my girl' thing won't make any sense. "As you can see, I met with great success." I glance down at the photos as Kyoraku swallows and Juushiro puts a hand over his mouth. He's looking sick now. So decapitation probably isn't off the table. I kind of thought so. "However, I decided to keep the fruits of my efforts to myself and give the money back." I say, watching them carefully. They both seem a little confused. "Unfortunately, my employer is coming back to haunt me in the worst sort of way. And I can tell you one thing about him… you probably know him." I wasn't deluding myself into thinking I'd met the man. Everyone I'd dealt with had been hired hands. Kyoraku frowned at me and I reached into my shirt, pulling out that little necklace I'd taken. "I got this from one of his goons. Looks familiar?"

"I see." His voice is hard, carefully controlled. "How did you manage to get these pictures? Where were you?" He suddenly asks and I laugh without thinking. Ooops, that was my normal voice. Oh well.

"Your closet." I say honestly and they both look completely taken aback. Heh, that's a funny look. "I'd say that makes me a closet pervert but I get paid for it. So it's all cool." Well, maybe not from the slightly nauseated look on their faces. "Do you have any more questions before we get to what I want?" Because I want something. Oh yes, I do.

"…Why didn't you just give these to your employer?" The white haired guy asks softly. "He must have been paying you well." That's certainly true. I charge a lot to spy on two taichou in the middle of the Seireitei. I gently stir the pictures with my fingertips.

"If I'd found what I expected, which was a woman, I would have." I say honestly. "But I have a philosophical problem with killing innocents. I'm a lot of things but not an assassin. And we both know that handing these over might be murder." I'm pretty sure that once in a while I've technically been an accessory, but I never meant it to happen. This would be pretty damned deliberate. And of course I've killed people, but they damned well weren't innocents. These two probably have plenty of sins – they're taichou, it's not always a nice job – but they haven't done a single thing to me. "And also…" I pick up one particular picture and catch the upper edge in my fingers, flipping my hand so it's facing them. It's a picture of them cuddling. "You guys are just too cute." Ooops. Did that sound as seductive as I think it did? From the shocked look on their faces, I think it did. Well damn, they made me tight in the pants. And that loving stuff… I really envy them that. I wish I had someone to love. I let the photo drop back to the table. "Nevermind that. Let's get into what I want from you." They both tense up again. Expecting me to put the screws on them for money, no doubt. "I have a daughter, my little girl." I say softly and that surprises them. "Everything I do is for her. These fuckers tried to kidnap her and they were talking about raping her." That still pisses me off so much. So glad they're dead, but I know there's more where they came from. "I'm going to deal with this shit myself. But I can't protect my little girl at the same time. So you're going to look after her for me. And if I don't come back, you'll find a good home for her, support her for me." That hurts to think about but I know it's a possibility. I might not get out of this one.

"Oh my kami." The white haired taichou says, looking sick. Ukitake Juushiro, that's his name. His friend is a bit more hardheaded about it.

"I'm surprised you would trust us with this. You don't have anyone else to put her with?" He asks and I sigh.

"I've got three people off the top of my head. None of them know kido and only one is good with a sword. And they have jobs. You have jobs too but I reckon you've got underlings you could put on my girl." I say honestly and Shunsui nods slowly as Juushiro looks at the pictures. "You have resources my other buddies don't. And frankly, you helped get me into this shithole, you can help get me out." That makes Kyoraku smile, ever so slightly.

"Too bad we don't have a rope, hmm? Well, it seems we have little choice." He says lightly and Juushiro nods. "When will we be getting the rest of the pictures?" Because obviously these aren't the only ones. I sigh and give him an honest answer.

"Right away. My girl has them." He arches an eyebrow at me and I shrug. "I don't really have a good place to keep them. And even if I did, well… if I get caught…" I have no doubt at all that this guy will torture me. These two are going to be looking after my girl if I get killed, I need them to stay breathing. "Also, your buddy there was a reputation for liking kids and not in a creepy way. So I'm not too worried that you'll cut her throat and keep the photos." They both look a little grossed out by my logic. But hell, I have to think of these things. "Let me go get her. She's not far away." I've stashed her somewhere close. She's probably pissed at me by now though. It's raining out there.

Sure enough.

"Starrk! What the hell! I'm soaked! If you didn't put this shit in waxed paper it's all ruined!" She hisses at me as I get her. Sighing, I help her out of the little concealed thicket I built for her. What? It's a park, I have survival skills. Really, I do.

"It's in waxed paper. What kind of amateur do you take me for? Come on. And remember, no names." Not that I have high hopes for that. I give it a day before she slips my name to them but whatever. It's not like I'm anyone important.

I have to go in the front door with her. She's no kind of super spy, my Lilinette. But whatever. I knock and Kyoraku lets me in. Lilinette sniffles a bit and Juushiro immediately starts to mother her. Or that's how I think of it, at least.

"Kami, you're soaked! Let me get you a towel. Shunsui, make that poor girl some tea!" He orders and his lover smiles before starting on that. I sigh a bit, feeling like a shitty dad. But what could I have done to keep her warm out there? It's raining damnit! I gently hug her, ignoring the water.

"Hey. You be good kid." I whisper to her and she sniffles again, burying her cold little face against my neck. "I'll be back for you, count on it."

"You better." She says threateningly and I smile. So cute. Then Juushiro's getting that towel around her and Shunsui has the tea. I step back to let them take care of her before giving them a few tips. "She's a good girl but a total cock block." Juushiro chokes a little as Kyoraku looks like he must have misheard. Go me. Lilinette just gives me the finger. Nice. "She also has a filthy mouth. Feel free to wash it out with soap. I don't want her slapped but if she gets really annoying, hang her out a window by her ankle and waggle her a bit. She hates that."

"Screw you Starrk!" She snaps and tries to kick me. I block but fuck!

"Brat! What did I tell you about my name?" I snap at her and she suddenly looks stricken. Forgot already. Lilinette can keep a secret, oh yes she can, but she's too used to using my name.

"Uh, I'm sorry Coyote!" She apologizes and I bite back a groan. What. The. Fuck?

"Now you gave them my other one… oh hell. Whatever. Take good care of her." I say to the two taichou. They're looking at me all funny now. I wonder why? But there's no time for that. I pull down my scarf and give her a quick kiss before making my escape.

Now I need to get to work bringing this bastard down.

* * *

"Oh my kami. Was that really…?" Shunsui whispered as he watched the man vanish like a puff of smoke. How could someone with so much spiritual pressure hide it so incredibly well? So close to him they'd both been able to feel the force of it, wafting off him like smoke off a hot pan. And then, when he chose, it seemed to simply vanish.

"Huh? You know Starrk?" They both looked at the little girl and Juushiro smiled reassuringly to her before bending down a bit to be on her level.

"We might, we're not sure. What's your name?" He said and his sweet uncle aura immediately began winning the child over. She smiled back, a touch uncertainly.

"I'm Lilinette Gingerbuck." She said and they both exchanged glances. "Oh yeah, these are for you." She pulled out a packet covered in waxed paper and Shunsui took it before opening it and taking a quick peek. It was the promised photos, complete with negatives. "You might wanna burn those right off. I haven't looked at them but I know what they are, Starrk told me." She said and Kyoraku nodded. "So, um… where am I gonna stay?" She suddenly seemed lost, this little girl. Juushiro smiled at her and she smiled back, sipping her tea.

"We have extra rooms. I'll go ready one for you." Shunsui offered as Juushiro got her settled into the kitchen. He smiled at the sight, sure that when he came out he would find his partner was plying the child with sweets. The photos were quickly gathered up and put into the envelope with the others. "Here, let me get that." A quick burst of kido and the contents were incinerated. As lovely as the pictures were, they were far too dangerous to keep. He quickly prepared the room for her. It didn't require much, just a quick freshening. When he came out, though, he found that Juushiro was only trying to ply the girl with sweets. She wasn't touching any of it, just looking at the plate with sad eyes… well, one eye. The eyepatch was definitely a reminder of the arrancar girl Juushiro had fought.

"What's wrong? You can tell me." Juushiro said softly to her and she sniffed, rubbing her face for a moment. Then she looked up at him, tearing up a little.

"Am I gonna see Starrk again?" She asked quietly and they exchanged a glance. "He's in pretty deep. And we're just dirt to guys like that. They'll hurt him really bad if they catch him."

"I'll do what I can to help him." Shunsui said softly and she sniffled before nodding. "Can you tell me a bit more about him?" She looked at them warily and he gave her a charming smile. That only seemed to make her more distrustful.

"We need to know more if we're going to help him, Lilinette." Juushiro said and she bit her lip, looking into her tea. Then she sighed.

"Starrk wouldn't like it, he'd say I'm a babble mouth. But I think you're right, Starrk really needs help right now." She said unhappily. "I don't know if I can tell you anything useful though. I mean, I don't know a lot about what's going on right now. Starrk doesn't know too much either, just that someone in your clan must really hate you."

"Oh yes." Shunsui said bleakly and Juushiro winced. They both knew that was true. Someone was attempting to remove Shunsui from his position as the clan heir. They wouldn't have minded – Shunsui didn't want it – but they were aiming to do it in a very permanent fashion. "But anything you can tell us would be helpful. How long have you and Starrk been plus souls?"

"Um, I don't know exactly. About two years?" She said, which matched perfectly with the end of the Winter War. Not that either of them were surprised. "We woke up in an alley an' we were both naked. That was fun, Starrk about burst something when he thought this guy was looking at me, hehe… anyway, we got clothes and he stole some food and we just got on in the world. Nothing special really. Starrk's a low life thug and I'm common scum." She said it like it was the most natural thing in the world and Juushiro and Shunsui exchanged a glance.

"Who told you that?" Juushiro asked and she grinned at him.

"Starrk! He's proud of it. He says he can't remember it but he's pretty sure he was born a bastard and got an education in lowlifery when he was just a kid." She said merrily and Juushiro blinked as Shunsui chuckled. "And he's pretty sure I'm his daughter which means I'm probably a bastard too and definitely common scum. That's alright though. We like being scum."

"Really." Juushiro said weakly. He'd never encountered that attitude before. Shunsui had, from some of his bar crawls in the Rukongai when he was younger. A lot of the members of the Eleventh considered themselves to be common scum, too. He chuckled again before speaking.

"Has Starrk ever considered becoming a shinigami?" He asked casually and Lilinette nodded.

"Yeah, he's been thinking about it. He figures he's gonna be recruited anyway if you get my drift." She said and Shunsui frowned as Juushiro bit his lip. "He's noticed someone following him sometimes. He says they're like a ghost. He doesn't like it too much but not much he can do, yah?"

"I see." Shunsui said calmly… too calmly, to Juushiro. They both could imagine why the Onmitsukido would be taking an interest in Coyote Starrk and it wasn't necessarily to recruit him. But the young, purified soul would have no idea. It seemed he and Lilinette had truly lost their memories. But would the more paranoid elements of Soul Society believe that? Doubtful. There was no point in alarming the child, though. "Well, I think I should set up an audience with my grandmother. She would be highly interested to know about this." Although he would give her a highly edited version of events.

She would be very upset that someone was attempting to destroy her grandson.

* * *

Ow. Ow. Ow.

My ankle is getting worse. Too much pressure on it, too soon. I keep trying to put healing spells on it but I know what my body is saying to me. It's saying lay off you dumb bastard, sit down and take a load off. Too bad I can't listen. Muttering something foul I keep hobbling along.

I'm going to a whorehouse that's noted for serving noble clientele. It's sort of a long shot, but people babble to whores all the time. I'll see if anyone knows –

A carriage screeches to a halt and that's all the warning I've got before three guys pile out and go for me. I immediately make a run for it, ignoring my ankle. Fuck that thing. Although who are these guys? Tell me I didn't somehow stumble across my erstwhile employers goons. Can't I ever get a damned break?!

That's when a kido hits me, to my absolute shock. I'm not ready for it and I go down hard, my arms suddenly trapped behind my back. I skid on my knees, probably skinning them both and narrowly avoid face planting onto the ground. Shit! My legs are free and I'm pulling myself up fast but not fast enough. The douchebags are onto me, grabbing me and I can't move my arms.

"Sai – " I manage to use exactly one, crappy kido before I get a punch in the face. One guy goes flying but the other two are still on me. I manage to make life miserable for them, though. I stomp on one guy's instep and head butt the other in the face.

Then things get nasty. The guy I sent flying is fucking huge and his fist is like a shovel. He hits me and I feel like my head just exploded. Everything is ringing, the side of my face is nothing but a mass of pain and there's something wet going down my face. I go down hard and someone yanks me around and starts putting something on my neck? I don't understand. What's that? My arms are still behind me and now that I've got a moment I manage to snap the kido just before they get that thing on my throat.

What. The. HELL? I suddenly can't feel my own reiatsu! Oh shit. It's some kind of retaining collar! I've never had anyone use something like that on me before because they are DAMNED expensive. Of course, money wouldn't be an object to these assholes. I struggle for all I'm worth but they're taking me to that fucking carriage. If they get me in there it's all going to be –

Wait. Wait! Fucking amateurs! There's no one in the carriage. There should be someone in there to make sure I can't get out the other door. And you know what? That's exactly what I do! In and out, oh yeah, score one for Coyote Starrk. There's cries of surprise and anger behind me as I take off running. Woo hoo, I'm free!

My ankle is killing me and I must look like someone fucked me up with a two by four, but whatever. I'm getting away. Then I hit a dead end but no problem. I start to climb, making it the roof of the building. Then I pause for a moment, fiddling with the reiatsu suppressor thing. There must be some way to get it off and if I can pawn the thing I'll have made a solid –

"Fuck!" Only really good reflexes saves me. This guy in black comes out of nowhere and tries to stab me! He's using shunpo, too. I have shunpo and I'm pretty damned good at it but not when I'm wearing this damned collar! I'm not sure how I'm surviving here, but somehow I am. Just barely though. I draw my blade as I frantically try to –

Then my foot hits empty air and I realize I've been suckered. This guy has pushed me to the edge of the roof and it's not a long drop, but it's enough if I land wrong. I've got no time to react at all before a blade goes for my throat and I have to dodge, I have to but I can't. There's nowhere to go but down and that's exactly where I go with a short scream. Short because the ground isn't far away and I land bad, really bad. I hear something crunching and red hot pain.

Then it's lights out for me.


End file.
